The State Department of Education informed 11 school districts and towns last month that they needed to appropriate more money this school year to comply with minimum budget requirements — and Winchester is the only town that has not complied. Because of this non-compliance, the State Board of Education unanimously voted to launch an investigation […]
Education
Stories about schooling in Connecticut: Pre-Kindergarten through grade 12, higher education, education spending and child welfare.
McQuillan returns to Connecticut education
Months after suddenly stepping down as the state’s top education leader, Mark McQuillan is back in Connecticut politics. McQuillan has been appointed by Rep. Andy Fleischmann, the co-chairman of the legislature’s Education Committee, to sit on a task force that will consider changing how the state’s vocational technical high schools operate.
As social media grow, so does First Amendment appreciation
Each year, on Constitution Day, students and teachers celebrate the most fundamental laws of our republic. This year, they should celebrate Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr and all other social media children of the digital age. Why? Because, it turns out, social media are good for the Constitution. Specifically, social media are good for the First Amendment, […]
UConn ranks 19th among top 20 national public research schools
U.S. News & World Report ranked the University of Connecticut as one of the top 20 national public research universities, placing it at 19th for 2012, up from 27th in 2011. The “Best Colleges 2012” rankings placed UConn at 58th among national universities, up from 69th in 2011. It was also named the best public […]
Days after community college chairwoman dismissal, notice of meeting shows up
The public notice for a meeting that Gov. Dannel P. Malloy dismissed the community college chairwoman over has turned up. “Notice is herewith given of a special meeting,” the July 25th letter to the Office of the Secretary of the State reads. Malloy cited two incidents that led to him removing longtime board chairwoman Louise […]
Big-name colleges venturing into online high school programs
Online high schools have been around for a while, but some well-known universities are starting to get into the field, Jason Koebler reports at U.S. News. Stanford University, George Washington University, Indiana University, and the University of Missouri are among the institutions that have started diploma-granting online high school programs in recent years. Graduating from […]
States taking steps to discourage extended college careers
Texas is the latest state to discourage students from extending their stays at public colleges and universities, Ben Wieder reports at Stateline.org, with a new law requiring students to prepare plans detailing how they will achieve their degrees—and then obtain permission any time they want to deviate from the plan. “We want students to think […]
Report: most student teaching programs are weak, including at SCSU
The student teaching programs at two state schools received mixed reviews in a national report card Thursday. Southern Connecticut State University’s program was rated “weak”, while Eastern Connecticut State University’s program was rated “good.” Only a small amount of the colleges that were analyzed (18 percent) received a passing grade from the National Council on […]
Members named to new Board of Regents
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy has named the first six members of the new Board of Regents that will govern the state’s community colleges, online university and the Connecticut State University System. “This is a new chapter in higher education in the state of Connecticut, one that streamlines administration and focuses more attention on student achievement […]
As researchers fret about gender equity, girls sweep science competition
As researchers continue to worry about the scarcity of women in science-related academic programs and professional fields, three teenage girls wiped out the competition in their respective age classes in the first Google Science Fair, Kenneth Chang reports at The New York Times. The three bested some 10,000 entrants from 91 countries. “It just starts […]
Implementation of education reforms passed last year will have to wait
A gamut of education reforms passed last year in the state’s attempt to land federal Race to the Top money will have to wait two more years to be implemented, as Gov. Dannel P. Malloy has signed a bill delaying most of the initiatives because of the costs. “No one disagrees that we need to […]
State takeover of Bridgeport schools essential for students’ futures
Our greatest asset in the City of Bridgeport is our young students. These students need – and deserve – the best that the city has to offer. Our students must come first. With this in mind, Bridgeport’s Board of Education has called for a state takeover of the school system. The decision to request the […]
To mixed reviews, DCF curtailing out-of-state placements
Frank Gregory, the director of treatment at CCP: 'We are getting it ready now for more children.' For years, the Department of Children and Families has left beds unfilled at its two psychiatric facilities while sending hundreds of children out-of-state, an expensive and criticized practice. This summer, DCF is bringing some of those children home […]
State education officials intervene in Bridgeport, then name new leader in Windham
Thirty minutes after deciding to takeover the Bridgeport school board, state education leaders announced who they intend to lead the other district they intervened in earlier this year. The controversial former superintendent of Hartford Public Schools Steven Adamowski has been named the new leader of Windham Public Schools. “He can make some positive differences. We […]
After slow start, applications for top education post begin flowing in
After a slow start, State Board of Education Chairman Allan Taylor said the extended deadline to apply for the state’s top education job has paid off and a wave of people have since applied. “I kinda lost track of how many people applied,” he said Friday. “All I know is I am very happy with the […]